The overall job scenario in the country has seen marginal improvement on month-on-month basis with the job index inching up to 738 in January 2009,up five per cent,from 697 in December 2008,according to Naukri.com Job Index.

“The downward trend was arrested to an extent in January.

However,it may be a while before we see recovery”,said Hitesh Oberoi,COO and Director,Info Edge (India),which is the promoter of the recruitment portal.

The index was calculated by the company based on new jobs added to the site on month-on-month basis.

Location-wise the analysis reveals an improvement in the situation in IT cities like Bangalore,Kolkata,Hyderabad and Pune. While industry-wise analysis reveals a positive scenario in IT,BPO,Telecom,Banking and Hospitality.

The study also showed that the maximum growth in new jobs have happened in cities like Bangalore and Kolkata in January.

Delhi,Hyderabad and Pune saw marginal increase in jobs compared to December 2008.

Industry analysis showed that niche sectors such as legal and government defence witnessed the growth in opportunities.